


The Birds and The Shotguns

by Jellycho (Nyxokal)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chickens, Domestic, Domestic Disputes, Established Relationship, Family Dynamics, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Guns, M/M, Old Married Couple, Owls, POV Third Person Limited, Retirement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-10 20:30:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7860076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyxokal/pseuds/Jellycho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hanzo accompanies Jesse to visit his parents. Then birds happen, affection is displayed, and things get shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Birds and The Shotguns

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nikorys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikorys/gifts), [illune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/illune/gifts).



> FUCKING FINALLY... More retirement au because I am so fucking weak. I'm not particularly satisfied abt the end but idc Y'ALL MUST HAVE THIS
> 
> Also I swear I'm working on SBS4 I'm like 5k or 6k words in but LET ME LIVEEEE

Hanzo Shimada loves Jesse McCree more than he dares admit out loud, but he knows for a fact that the cowboy is aware of this and doesn't mind his inability to vocalize his feelings all that often.

Jesse does most of the talking, anyway, while Hanzo prefers to keep his affectionate gestures simple and to the point, symbolic, romantic in a way that he knows only Jesse will understand. They've achieved this sort of peace with each other already, comfort and trust, this simmering love that engulfs his veins every time they share even just a moment next to each other.

He wants everything about him, mind and body and soul, past and present and future. In his desire to learn him inside out, take everything he's got to give and share, Hanzo continues to agree to anything the man could want. From dates to songs, from food to sleeping arrangements, Hanzo takes it all in his silent efforts to understand his partner better; it's the trade-off, he thinks, the counterpart to Jesse's touchy affections and syrupy words. So when Jesse suggests visiting his adoptive parents for a week to receive their blessing, Hanzo agrees on the spot, ready to take the next step and prove how serious he is about their union.

What he's not expecting is for Jesse's parents to be Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison, ex-Overwatch agents, holed up in a secluded lodge on a cliff by the sea and unknowingly greeting them with a shotgun shell to the door, then shouting.

Hanzo jumps back a step. In the distance, Hanzo swears he hears chickens in distress.

"That'd be my _jefe's_ doing," Jesse is laughing, tipping his hat at Hanzo. That grin is breathtaking enough to calm Hanzo's nerves, but he still goes and squeezes at Hanzo's hand, winking. A silent reassurance. "But don't ya worry, sweetheart," he says, low. "They're mostly harmless. I'm sure you'll love 'em."

Behind the door, Hanzo can hear shouting, gun safeties being clicked off, then a loud warning of _'If you shoot I shoot, asshole.'_ At this Jesse only laughs again, particularly unfazed by the whole thing — if anything, his grin is even wider now.  

Jesse moves on to knock on the door. Though his knocking is more like slamming his fist on the ruined wooden door, then calling out for Jack and Gabriel to put everything down and let him in already. The screaming stops, and small curses filter out of the hole on the door; strings in two languages Hanzo recognizes as Spanish and English.

 _Mostly harmless,_ he reminds himself, not quite discreetly hiding behind Jesse's taller form as the door opens.

* * *

"It's always nice to see you again, Jesse," the man Hanzo knows is Jack Morrison is saying, serving the two of them a cup of steaming tea each and setting them on the round wooden table. "But you should've told us you were coming in advance. We would've cleaned up." Jack grimaces. "Or at least we would've held off on the whole... door thing."

Hat off, Jesse laughs heartily, grabbing his cup and taking big, loud gulps of the liquid. Hanzo copies the action, but remains elegant in his drinking. Jack disappears into another room just as Jesse sets his cup back down on the table with a loud bang, sighing before he speaks. "I just wanted ta visit my favourite set of parents in the whole wide world," he bats his eyelashes for effect.

Hanzo sits faithfully to Jesse's right, occupying one of the four creaky wooden chairs that somehow manage to feel uncomfortable and comfortable both in equal amounts. He's been letting his eyes wander cautiously through the room, secretly, almost as if he were afraid of getting caught staring at everything in the house.

Because the building is contrasting with the image he'd built in his mind as soon as he realized who Jesse's parents really _are,_ the idea of a modestly-sized cabin decorated with handmade wooden trinkets not really connecting with the names Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes.

There's too much at odds here. The smells first; the combination of wet earth, sweat, freshly baked bread, and gunpowder. The furniture; wooden, mostly, covered in scratches and marks that Hanzo's sure must each have a history to them. Hanzo doesn't know if he's curious about the blatant Pulse Rifle bullet holes on the kitchen cupboards, or the knife marks on the living room curtains, or about the cuckoo clock's bird missing its head.

At least the discarded clips and bullet shells on most surfaces he can associate with the two ex-leaders of the old Overwatch Unit, the twin shotguns proudly on display on the dining room wall. But then there's the happy photographs on the walls, the post-its with hearts near the entrance door, the rings on their fingers. It occurs to Hanzo that, somehow, he had been expecting something different. A base of sorts, maybe, not a relatively normal home housing two old men living out their retirement.

Hanzo's eyes quickly dart towards where he can see a blotch of sunlight on the wooden floor, seeping in from the entrance and into the living room.  

Two _mostly harmless_ old men living out their retirement.

Another man, this one with dark skin and hair, walks in and takes a seat to Jesse's left. His beard is a mix of gray and dark brown, scars all over his face; Hanzo immediately identifies him as Gabriel Reyes, ex-Commander of the now disbanded Overwatch.

Gabriel snorts. "Favourite parents, my ass," he grumbles, leaning dangerously back on his chair and rocking it on its back legs. In his hand he holds a recently opened beer bottle, resting it on his lap. Hanzo's attention is caught on the perfectly applied black paint of his nails. "Ingrate. You haven't called us in years."

"Been busy, _jefe,"_ Jesse shrugs. "It ain't as easy now with Overwatch disbanded."

Gabriel drinks from bottle, then points at Jesse with it. "One phone call," he says. "Just about enough for a 'hey,' then an 'I'm still alive,' and a 'bye.' Takes you like, what, ten minutes?"

Jesse's hands are thrown up in the air. Hanzo has to grab his cup and drink to avoid anyone seeing him smiling at the gesture. "Yeah, yeah, okay," Jesse huffs, rolling his eyes and falling back on his chair. There's a smirk in his voice as he reaches over to Hanzo, hooking an arm over his shoulers. "But we're here to talk 'bout my babe, Reyes."

The older man's eyes snap from Jesse to Hanzo in one quick move, and Hanzo almost chokes with the sheer _intimidation_ coming from them. But he perseveres, Hanzo, and musters all the pride and ego necessary to counter the stare, straightening his back and keeping his expression neutral.

Reyes' eyebrows shoot up his forehead, clearly pleased in the defiance. Hanzo takes his chance to bow his head slightly, painfully elegantly. "It is an honour to meet you both," he utters, voice clear and strong. "Jesse has told me much about you."

"You've been talking shit, McCree?" isn't the reply Hanzo is expecting, but it is the one he gets.

Thankfully, Jack returns right at that moment, carrying a tray full of delicious-smelling pastries in one hand and a mug in the other, saving Jesse from having to reply. He sets the tray down on the table gently before saying, "He's always talking shit about everyone."

It's actually true. Hanzo bites back a snort.

Jesse is protesting just as he makes a grab for one of the pastries with his prosthetic arm, whining and groaning about neither of his dads giving him enough credit as a good, proper son. He doesn't let go of Hanzo even as he moves. Hanzo waits until he sees Jack biting into one to reach out and take one for himself, careful in his movements; despite the familial comfort in the room Hanzo still feels he must impress.

 _"Anyway,"_ Jesse presses, clearing his throat, patting at Hanzo with the hand still over his shoulders. He drags the two of them a little closer together, and Hanzo lets him, even when Jesse pats at Hanzo's chest gently. "This is Hanzo Shimada," the cowboy's saying, giving Hanzo one of his warmest smiles, adoring and loving and sickeningly sweet. "Love of my life, apple of my eye."

Hanzo's heart is right away stuck in his throat. He clears it out, his face burning when he rolls his eyes, turns his head away.

Jack snorts and takes a sip of the liquid in his mug. It quickly fills the air with the smell of faintly of fresh coffee when he exhales. "Pleased to meet you, Hanzo," he's smiling. "We hope Jesse's doing a good job as a partner. He's kind of a handful, right Gabe?"

Jesse's smile drops. "Hey—"

"Oh, man. Handful's putting it gently," Gabriel laughs. It's a rough sound, but lighthearted in a way. Hanzo thinks he's starting to get a good feel on the situation. Gabriel's eyes meet Hanzo's next, his smirk playful. "We've got a _lot_ of receipts on him if you ever need blackmail material."

"Now, hold on a minute—"

"Should I go get the Overwatch photo albums?" Jack grins at Hanzo. "There's mostly team photo-shoots and mission-related photographs, but there's gotta be something in there about Jesse you can use."

"Actually, I distinctly remember there being a photo from that one mission in South Africa—"

"Oh my god!" Jesse raises from his chair, shouting in a successful attempt to interrupt Gabriel. The ex-Commander's glare is only half serious. "Alright, I gotta draw the line somewhere. Y'all ain't showing Hanzo my baby pics!"

"You were seventeen, Jesse," Jack supplies, a laugh mixing with his words. "Going on twenty by the time the South Africa mission happened."

Jesse pouts. "Still count as baby pics," he whines.

Hanzo takes his cup from the table, holds it close to his lips. "I will not be needing any 'receipts'," he says, glancing at Jesse from the corner of his eye, those grateful puppy eyes. He can see Jack and Gabriel staring at him intently, curious and amused looks in their faces, respectively. "We've known each other for three years," Hanzo continues, right before meeting Jack's eyes and delivering the final blow. "He _is_ a handful."

The archer takes a sip of his tea. Gabriel breaks out laughing while Jack hides his mouth behind his hand. Next to Hanzo, Jesse's prosthetic flies to his chest, right above his heart as he whimpers, mock-hurt. Hanzo catches the way the ex-agents' gazes meet, over in his peripheral, and feels an electric current emanate from them at that instant, lips curling into a grin almost on their own; their laughter is contagious, so much that even Jesse's voice goes from an offended whine to an amused chuckle.

"I like him already!" Gabriel announces when he's done laughing. He locks gazes with Hanzo, brown meeting brown, raising his beer bottle as if to toast in Hanzo's name. "Welcome to the family, Hanzo Shimada," Gabriel says.

It's not in his nature to do so, but upon hearing those words, Hanzo fidgets.

* * *

"So whaddaya think of the fam so far, babe?"

It's night. They've pushed the twin beds in the couple's guest room together to form one, and Jesse's already claimed the left side for himself — he lies on his side, head propped on his hand, over to the side closest to the window. The weak moonlight filters in, covering Jesse, making him look more serious than he really is. The sound of crickets singing is stronger here than anywhere else Hanzo's ever been, the faint crash of ocean waves in the distance.

Jesse winks. Hanzo rolls his eyes at the sight. Had they not known each other for as long as they have, Hanzo would fume, demand he and Jesse sleep in different beds despite his desire to share warmth through the night. But now he's learned, allowed the man to thaw at his heart, and Hanzo takes the invitation; already in his sleep robe and cleaned up for the night, Hanzo crawls on the right side of their makeshift single bed, lets Jesse shift to hold him close by the waist, cover them with the thick blankets.

Hanzo instantly relaxes in Jesse's warm embrace. He closes his eyes when he feels the cowboy pressing his forehead against his, sighs. "I was not aware you were adopted by the old leaders of Overwatch," Hanzo whispers.

One of Jesse's hands is combing at his hair, Jesse humming as he goes through the motion. Hanzo feels the puffs of air from Jesse's laughter tickle his face, and he sniffs, scrunches up his nose when Jesse's forehead leaves his momentarily to press a quick kiss there. "Adopted in theory," Jesse mumbles in the darkness of the room. "They ain't my legal parents — they just consider me their son. Like with Ana."

Hanzo hums back at Jesse in reply. He's met Ana Amari before, greatly enjoyed the visit and her company. Especially enjoyable were her food and appreciation of Hanzo's archery skills, and that moment when her daughter suplexed Jesse.

"But what do ya think of these two?" Jesse asks again, nuzzling his nose to Hanzo's. "Do they got your approval so far?"

He's so disgustingly affectionate at night that Hanzo has to bite his tongue not to whine in protest, embarrassed even as he thrives off the gesture. Hanzo clears his throat before replying. "They are good people," he mumbles, opening his eyes to take in the shine in Jesse's eyes in the dark. "A little... intense, perhaps, but good people nonetheless."

Jesse grins. "Is this about the door or the roastin'?"

"Particularly about the door."

"Aw, babe," Jesse presses another kiss to Hanzo's forehead. This time Hanzo growls, but all it does it make Jesse laugh. "It's how they show their affection," he explains.

Hanzo frowns. "They show their affection by shooting at each other?"

"It was worse before they retired, trust me." Jesse cuddles closer to Hanzo, burying his face in the crook of the smaller man's neck. Their forms press together quite nicely, like puzzle pieces coming together, and the pleased, tired sigh Jesse breathes into his neck sends shivers down Hanzo's spine. "But I know they love each other too goddamn much to cause any real harm."

"How do you know?"

"Jus' do. But I'll tell ya tomorrow, darlin'," Jesse mumbles, then yawns. His voice is slurring by the second, sleep claiming him. How he manages to fall asleep right after hitting a soft surface Hanzo doesn't know, but he can't help the protective urge that causes him to run his fingers through Jesse's hair, an action he knows will help him fall asleep faster. "Believe it or not, I have my own receipts."

That makes Hanzo laugh. Jesse falls asleep to the vibrations of Hanzo's chuckle, his breathing evening out within seconds. The archer lets himself follow suit a few minutes later, the warmth from Jesse's body blanketing him better than any cover could, comforting him down to the bone

* * *

The old married couple continues to surprise Hanzo when, first thing in the morning, he and Jesse find them practically glued to each other as Jack stands over the stove.

Gabriel's standing behind him, arms around Jack's waist, chin on his shoulder as Jack leans his entire weight against Gabriel's body. They mutter between each other, steal kisses every once in a while, stopping only when Jack has to flip the eggs on the pan or add another ingredient to his concoction.

Compared to yesterday's events, Hanzo thinks it's a little understandable when the sight catches him off guard, causing him to stop for a moment and blink.

Interrupting his shock, Jesse waltzes into the kitchen and past Hanzo with confident strides, as if he lived here, yawning. "Mornin'," he lazily announces himself.

Jack and Gabriel share one last peck on the lips before Gabriel untangles himself from Jack — not without slapping at his ass, though, shameless even in the presence of visitors. At least Jack doesn't seem to mind, only rolling his eyes and chuckling.

Gabriel goes to grab for a mug of coffee with the Overwatch logo on it that's sitting the counter. "Slept well, kids?" he asks.

"Like a baby," Jesse supplies as Hanzo takes a seat on the table, rolling his eyes at the pyjama-clad cowboy.

The smells of frying eggs and freshly made coffee fill the room quickly, pleasing and comforting. Gabriel moves to offer a mug of the dark liquid to Jesse, while Hanzo declines the offer and asks for tea instead. Jack fishes out four plates and fills them with today's breakfast servings, orders Gabriel to fetch whatever 'extra stuff' they might want; mayonnaise, ketchup, a few chopped up vegetables and spices prepared earlier.

It's... awfully domestic, though not uncomfortably so.

They talk about the night most of all, until Jack and Gabriel are telling their two visitors about their usual routine. The two wake and eat at five in the morning before going jogging, spar a little, and then clean up to eat another proper breakfast around nine. Once again the strange feeling of dissociation between the phrases 'retired couple' and 'ex-leaders' settles in Hanzo's gut, mixing images of their morning PDA and them beating the shit out of each other amusing, yet two polar opposites he can't quite connect.

Halfway through their breakfast, Jesse makes a sound at the back of his throat as he's drinking coffee. "Hey, pops," he calls out to Jack, setting the mug down. "Ya think we could show your kids to Hanzo?"

Chewing still, Hanzo turns sharply to look at Jesse with discreetly widened eyes. _What kids._

Jack laughs gently, already done with his food. "Have you at least told him who my children are?" he asks Jesse, then sighs fondly when the cowboy shakes his head. Jack decides to set his sights on Hanzo instead. "I own chicks, Hanzo," Jack explains, gesturing while holding his own coffee mug. "We have a coop behind the house. I could introduce you to them if you want."

Gabriel nods, makes a sound of agreement before saying, "In fact, you're eating what came out of their asses right now."

"Don't be fucking rude," Jack slaps at his husband's arm.

"What, don't eggs come out a chicken's ass?"

"Stop talking about my children's' asses!"

Hanzo can only stare in disbelief at the couple as their early morning sweetness becomes pure petty bickering. While they're too busy with each other Jesse takes over, leaning close to the Japanese man, hiding his mouth behind his hand as if that would block out Jack and Gabriel.

His breath smells strongly of coffee. "Morrison likes ta call the chicks his children," Jesse supplies, voice barely above a whisper. "You're gonna love 'em, babe. They're the sweetest little things, even if they're probably chickens by now."

"When was the last time you came here?" Hanzo feels ridiculous for whispering back, but it seems like the most natural course of action to take.

"'Round five years ago, I think," Jesse shrugs. Before them, lost in their argument, Hanzo sees Jack threaten Gabriel with his cutlery knife. "Dunno if ya noticed, but there's a photo of me on the fridge holdin' a bunch of the chicks in my arms. Felt like I was gonna die of cute." Jesse sighs. "That was the second best day of my life."

Hanzo frowns, becoming curious enough to tear his gaze off the married couple and missing whatever it is that happens next with the knife. He sets his eyes on Jesse instead, asks, "And what's the first?"

The sweet, honest, _loving_ smile Jesse gives him right then makes Hanzo feel like the world is ready to open up beneath him, swallow him whole and send him on an infinite free-fall with his heart doing summersaults in his chest, flipping and flopping like Jack's fried eggs did on the pan. Jesse sets a hand on his chest, eyes soft and admiring, and Hanzo's breath hitches in his throat.

"Why, sweetheart," Jesse says. "The day we met, of course."

At least Jack and Gabriel's argument is stopped when Hanzo shoves Jesse away, flushing and spluttering, with the cowboy's laughter somehow loud enough to echo through the wooden cabin.

* * *

The visit starts to get a little ridiculous by the time Jack takes them to his chicken coop behind their sweet little home, when he picks up one of the chickens — Penelope, Jack had called her, petting her head sweetly as if she were a kitten — and starts pointing out the rest, complete with names and birthdays and other facts.

Morrison has ten children. There's the aforementioned Penelope; the obvious favourite even when the man denies the accusation. Then there's Linda, Gracie, Mary Poppins, Elizachick, Laurhen, Hennifer, Kiki, Charlie, and Death Blossom. Jack announces the last one with a disapproving sigh and a shake of his head, claiming that he'll never let his husband name anything else in their lives.

Hanzo is a fan of birds, having already taken care of a couple of sparrows in his childhood, but chickens are a whole new world to him. He is and isn't surprised when Jesse picks one of the chickens up in his arms like Jack. Jesse holds her there, gives her a small peck on the head, laughs. It's a strange sight, maybe, but the man _did_ meet them when they were just baby chicks, Hanzo remembers just as he makes a mental note not to kiss him in the near future.

"Howdy, Hennifer," Jesse greets the squirming chicken in his arms. "Remember me?"

The chicken clucks.

Jesse turns to Hanzo, almost teary eyed, smiling so brightly Hanzo would feel like he's fallen in love for the nth time if it weren't for the chicken in his arms. "She's the one I got to name," Jesse says, petting her. "Say hello, Hanzo."

The fact that Hennifer owes her name to Jesse isn't surprising in the slightest. Hanzo instinctively takes a step back when Jesse holds the chicken closer to him, her wings flapping. "A-Ah," he splutters, hands held before him as if for protection. "Good morning, Hennifer."

The chicken stays silent.

"Don't take it personally. Hennnifer's always been shy," Jack's voice comes in from behind Hanzo. He's feeding the blasted birds, throwing their food in even mounts on the floor so that none of his children go starving.

Jesse lets the chicken down, goes over to help Jack with feeding. They leave Hanzo standing dumbly in the middle of a small flock of chickens, the Japanese man nervously looking around the birds and lifting his prosthetic legs to avoid having them touch him.

It takes Hanzo an embarrassing amount of minutes to notice Jack is looking at him, and has been for a while now. Hanzo stiffens on cue and Jack huffs, wipes at some sweat on his forehead, offering a smile when he drops his arm to his side.

"It's okay, Hanzo," he's trying to be reassuring, and that is at least something that Hanzo can appreciate. "My children are the sweetest chickens I've ever had the pleasure of raising."

Hanzo takes the opportunity he's been thrown and starts a conversation. "You've had more before?"

Jack brightens again, chuckling with his eyes closed as he leads the two of them out of the coop. He looks boyishly warm and bright for a man his age. "I was raised in a farm in Indiana," he says. "I cared for everything from crops to animals, but I was always better with chickens and cows for some reason."

"That's why he was so good at handlin' Overwatch with Reyes; we were all animals," Jesse interjects.

The older man scoffs, arms crossed. "Correction: _You_ were an animal. Everyone else was perfectly well behaved and obeyed orders when they had to, and nobody skipped on training to go watch a fucking novela."

"Hey," Jesse tugs at his hat, _" Mirada de Mujer_ is an important show."

"Even Gabriel has better self-control than you when it comes to novelas," Jack delivers. He raises an eyebrow at Jesse. _"Gabriel."_

Jesse pouts at the older man, flicking his hat into a more comfortable position for him to squint at Jack. They stare at each other intently, Hanzo feeling like he's watching children have a quiet battle over playground dominance. Jesse licks at his lips — Hanzo belatedly realizes he hasn't smoked a cigar since the moment they set foot in the couple's property.

"Fight me, old man," Jesse says.

Hanzo feels like slapping his own face with his palm. "Jesse—"

"What, right here?" Jack gestures at the open area they stand in. "You want me to kick your ass in front of my kids? In front of your boyfriend?"

Boyfriend. The word that's gone unsaid between Jesse and Hanzo for long enough for it to become an implicit thing, suddenly out in the open right before Jack and Jesse start fighting. It feels good. Really good, warm. It catches Hanzo off-guard, and he splutters, failing to reel Jesse back in when the other needs him most; Hanzo watches, with growing horror in his gut, as Jesse shakes off his serape, lets it fall on the grass, then drops his hat on top of it.

It's an obvious invitation for Jack to kick his ass and all three of them know it. Boyfriend, Hanzo's mind repeats, a little more desperately and giddier. Not trusting his voice at the moment Hanzo decides to give up, shoulders sagging as he sighs and takes a seat next to Jesse's discarded belongings, ready to watch the fight. As much as he loves the man, Hanzo loves seeing him get what he's asked for even more — Jesse needs to learn his lessons.

Over the sound of clucking chickens, Jack starts laughing and shakes his head. This isn't going to end well for Jesse and Hanzo can hardly wait, though he does mentally promise to make it up to his sure-to-end-up-sulking _boyfriend_ later on.

* * *

Gabriel Reyes is one of the most interesting people Hanzo Shimada has had the pleasure to meet, even if the first impression he got out of him was less than favourable. It fades slowly the more time Hanzo spends with the man, though. And while Morrison treats the accidental nosebleed and split lip he ended up giving Jesse, Hanzo sits on the bench set on the cabin's front porch with Gabriel himself, snacking on sunflower seeds and watching the distant ocean on the cliff.

"Jack drives me nuts sometimes," Gabriel is saying, absently picking at his nails. His beanie is off and Hanzo can see the graying, curly hair underneath, shaped into a stylish undercut despite them being ten minutes away from civilization. "But then he kicks ass like this, breaks shit, and I remember why I love that bastard so much."

The kind of relationship they have is nothing like the ones Hanzo has ever witnessed before, nothing like the ones he's been through or seen people close to him have. It's chaotic and destructive, fiery, intense thanks to the two's backgrounds and history together. And yet there's a softness in their life together that Hanzo can't help but be warmed by, the hugs and kisses and touches they share reminiscent of Jesse, only doubled in their input.

It's invigorating and frightening at the same time, inspiring and alarming.

With Gabriel's comment hanging in the air, Hanzo allows himself to become curious. "What was it that brought the two of you together in the first place?" Hanzo tries his luck, asking tentatively and keeping his voice nonchalant. The shrug that follows is calculated to pacify Gabriel when the man turns to look at Hanzo. "If you don't mind me asking, of course," he adds for good measure.

Gabriel is quiet for a moment. Hanzo lets him be, assuming the man needs a moment to collect his thoughts before he speaks. That's okay by him.

So in the silence that follows the archer sets his eyes on the blue horizon, takes in the scenery around the married couple's home; the trees and vegetation, the way the foliage moves with the wind's soft caress. The sound that makes and how it mixes with the ocean's waves, the faint clucking of Jack's children calling out for him to come back, with Jesse's distressed cries from inside the cabin before he's loudly shushed by the man himself.

Hanzo counts to ten. Jesse had it coming.

He makes it all the way up to nine when Gabriel shuffles beside him, throwing his head back, breaking Hanzo's concentration bubble with his loud sigh. Gabriel runs a hand through his hair, messes it up even further. "I guess you deserve me being honest with you, huh," he mumbles, on the verge of whispering. It takes him another slow inhale and exhale to actually continue, as if he were bracing himself to speak.

Hanzo gives him all the time he needs; he is, after all, a man of patience under the right circumstances. Gabriel closes his eyes, grumbling Spanish curses under his breath that Hanzo's heard time and time again, accented differently from his _boyfriend's_ lips.

"Okay; I realized I loved Jack," Gabriel begins, quick, yet soft in his words, "way back before Overwatch itself. The problem is that it was both a gradual thing and yet incredibly sudden — like knowing and seeing that you're about to get hit by a car, not moving, and still being surprised when it runs you over at full-speed." Gabriel takes a second to laugh at his metaphor. "An idiot's tale, basically."

The man is fidgeting on his seat, playing with a sunflower seed between his fingers. Hanzo doesn't look at him; his own way of giving him some privacy. "Jack is a proud son of a bitch," he hears Gabriel state. "He's egoistical, stubborn, gullible. Easily offended and temperamental like one of his stupid chickens. And yet— " Gabriel's entire demeanor softens at those words, a smile tugging his voice up to the skies, "And yet Jack is also one of the brightest people I've ever met.

"He's kind," Gabriel continues, "caring. Honest and nurturing, he draws people in like they're flies and he's honey. Jack is loyal to a fault and will follow those he loves to the ends of the world, even if it gets him fucking killed in the process. But that's why he's got me to watch his ass." Hanzo stays silent even when Gabriel turns to make eye contact.

Suddenly, the sincerity in the man's eyes, the open affection radiating off him like heat, it crawls up to Hanzo and settles in his bloodstream as if it were his own.

At the back of his mind, Hanzo makes a note to make it clear to and remind Jesse that even if he's a disgraceful dirty cowboy, Hanzo still adores him nonetheless. Later.

He doesn't mean to look as surprised as he feels, but he knows he's screwed up when Gabriel catches it, closing the gates to his heart with a shrug. "We make a good team, he and I. Or whatever," he says, furrowing his eyebrows and looking away once again. Hanzo almost swears he sees the hints of pink on his dark-skinned cheeks. "You know what I mean."

Hanzo allows himself to smile at Gabriel, thinly, even though the man isn't looking at him. "That is very sweet."

Now Gabriel is chuckling, flicking a sunflower seed up to catch it in his mouth. "That was _way_ too sweet. And sappy," he grumbles, chewing, but there's definitely warmth there. "Shit, man. I ain't gonna burn on my own. You gotta tell me how the two of you met now."

"He saved my life," Hanzo immediately replies. For some reason he can't explain, he's now eager to tell Gabriel about Jesse; show off his _boyfriend_ like Gabriel's shown off his husband. "I was trapped in... in a place I did not wish to be in for long. And then Jesse literally dropped in; he fell through the roof."

That day was a complete mess consisting of breaking out of a Hanamura Talon cell after a careless move landed him in capture, then shooting their way out together. Best day of his life, Jesse called it, and Hanzo is beginning see why; even though their escape was a chaotic mix of gunshots and arrows, explosions and screams, circumstance still brought them together, forced them to cooperate from the moment Jesse accidentally broke through the vents above Hanzo's cell, all the way through the night until they were safely on a cargo train leaving the city.

It was the beginning of the most beautiful thing in Hanzo's life, even if he didn't know it yet back then. He spent so much of his time with Jesse threatening him, distrustful, whenever he did anything Hanzo thought was suspicious. Hanzo sighs — he should thank Jesse for not giving up on him when he could have, staying by his side and making sure he was safe even when he was no longer needed, despite the multiple arrowheads Hanzo pointed at his throat.

Nowadays Hanzo Shimada is incredibly grateful for Jesse McCree's existence in his life. Maybe he's even beginning to set the day they met as the best day of his life, too.

Gabriel laughs. "I'm guessing he didn't plan it," he says.

Hanzo's smile turns gentle and fond. He doesn't fight it this time; it feels appropriate. "No, he did not," he admits. "But he is kind, Jesse. He helped me even though we were complete strangers."

Gabriel returns that smile and offers Hanzo some sunflower seeds. The Japanese man takes them with a whispered 'thank you.'

"We talk a lot of shit about McCree," Gabriel begins, "but he's really a good guy. I can't even begin to count the times he saved me or Jack while out there in missions during our time in Overwatch." He then winks at Hanzo, playful, and Hanzo realizes that Jesse and Gabriel have definitely left an influence on each other. "He'll take real good care of you."

"And I will make sure to take care of him as well, for as long as I may be able to," Hanzo replies. "I believe what I mean to say is that we also make a good team, Jesse and I."

The ex-Commander breaks out in a satisfactory laugh when he hears that, the sound muffling Jesse's Spanish cursing from the lodge. Hanzo thinks nothing of it at first, focusing on and enjoying the bonding moment out here with Gabriel, until suddenly Jesse’s screaming, and then Jack, and then the sound of something shattering precedes a gunshot from inside.

Both men jump to their feet in no time, Gabriel dropping the sunflower seeds carelessly all over the wooden floor. He and Hanzo share a look of wide-eyed surprise and concern, alarmed, unmoving, waiting. And then Jesse comes rushing out of the front door, screaming like a madman and with an owl flying over him. It’s pecking at his hat until it finally falls off — right then the owl’s attention shifts to peck at his long, messy hair instead, shrieks and screams both human and animal mixing together.

Now, Hanzo Shimada isn’t a man who usually swears when confused and startled, most preferring to keep it clean and tasteful. But right at that moment the words _‘what the fuck’_ definitely cross his mind, and Hanzo doesn’t fight them.

Because, honestly, what the fuck.

“McCree!” Jack comes running out of the lodge next, onto the grass. Hanzo barely registers the blood trail going down his face, the injury under his eye, because first thing he sees is the giant Pulse Rifle in Jack’s hands and how he’s pointing it at Jesse. “Jesus Christ, McCree, hold still!”

Hanzo’s heart stops.

There is so much going on all at once, and it is all happening so fast. First, Jesse drops to the ground, screaming swears and pleas in Spanish while trying to use his prosthetic arm to protect his face from the owl’s wrath. Then Jack drops the rifle when he’s tackled by Gabriel down to the grass, the older man shrieking something to his husband about leaving his girl alone.

For a moment there, things were nice and cozy. There was some normalcy. Hanzo should’ve known it was not to last.

Hanzo sighs and rolls his eyes, walks down the porch to go help Jesse, shooing the owl away until it’s flown off to take a perch on the lodge’s roof. Hanzo helps his boyfriend up, asks if he’s alright, and when he receives an affirmative he turns to take in the married couple’s newest domestic dispute.

Gabriel’s hands are balled on the hem of Jack’s shirt, shaking him as he yells, “You were going to shoot her!”

“I was not!” Jack defends himself immediately, pushing at Gabriel. Some of the blood on his face is drying. “I was just gonna startle her!”

“With your fucking Pulse Rifle, Jack! You could’ve killed her!”

Jack headbutts his husband with enough strength for Gabriel to be knocked off-balance and fall to his side. Instantly, their positions are switched; now Jack is the one straddling and shaking him. “Oh, yeah?!” Jack shouts, lowering his face closer to Gabriel’s until their noses are touching. “Look at me, Gabe! She almost pecked my fucking eye out! _Again!”_

And Gabriel grabs at Jack’s wrists, trying to pry him off. “Doña did nothing wrong!” he growls.

That is quite enough for him. Hanzo goes back to checking on Jesse, sets a hand on his prosthetic arm, looks up at him with a furrowed brow. In exchange, Jesse shrugs, goes to tip at his hat before he realizes it’s not there. Hanzo snorts. There’s scratches all over the metal of his arm, and a few more over his fleshy forearms, but otherwise he looks fine.

Thank goodness.

“Jesse.” Hanzo is and isn’t amused when he has to raise his voice above its normal tone to be heard over Jack and Gabriel’s continuous, powerful shouting. “What happened?”

“Some owl flew in the livin’ room and almost pulled Morrison’s eye out with its claws,” Jesse replies as he bends over to pick up his hat. He brushes the grass off it, sighs. “And then when I tried shooin’ it away it turned its wrath on me.”

Hanzo hums. “That is rather unfortunate.”

Jesse’s eyes are so comically wide, Hanzo has trouble not laughing. “Unfortunate?” he breathes. “Babe, it wanted to killed us!”

“I am more concerned over your parents,” Hanzo accentuates this by pointing at them, and Jesse’s eyes land on Gabriel holding Jack in a headlock, “killing each other over an owl.”

The cowboy exhales loud, dragging a hand down his face after putting his hat back on. “Aw, heck.”

Jack is throwing punches and jabs at an alarming speed, but Gabriel is blocking them all like it’s nothing, trying to throw his husband off balance only to be met with a counter that sends them twirling, rolling, and then back up again to repeat it all. It’s like watching an incredibly aggressive dance between the two, rhythmical and frightening, with demands and accusations thrown into the mix of screams and grunts each time a hit connects.

It’s impressive, Hanzo thinks, to watch Jack and Gabriel fight like this, live and direct rather than getting the leftovers of it, or stories. And it is right then that Hanzo finally makes the mental connection between their marriage and their leadership — when the couple’s shared soldier training kicks in and they proceed to tumble around on the grass, succeeding and failing to gain the upper hand in their fight.

Up on the roof, Hanzo sees the owl tilting its head evilly at them. Cutely. Then it shrieks and flaps its wings, startled, when Jesse pulls out his Peacekeeper and fires two warning shots up in the air.

“Alright, y’all!” Jesse shouts, Peacekeeper still up in the air as he glares at both of the older men on the grass currently scrambling away from each other. He walks up to the two of them, slow, Hanzo on tow. “Quit it with yer bickerin’!” he continues. “What ever happened to bein’ in your best behaviour? You got two visitors!”

Gabriel tries dusting himself off as he growls and glares at Jesse. The cowboy goes unfazed. “I don’t care. You don’t live in my house,” he says. Then he points over at Jack, says, “And I’ll fight this son of a bitch all I want if he keeps that blatant Doña hate up.”

“I get to hate her all I fucking want after she tried to leave me blind twice already,” Jack grumbles, arms crossed and face turned away from his family. He scoffs. “Also, it’s _our_ house, asshole.”

“I would say I’m sorry on her behalf, but after that Pulse Rifle bullshit—”

“Fuck you, Gabe!” Jack throws his hands in the air, “She left me bleeding! And Jesse needed my goddamn help!”

Jesse interrupts what’s obviously turning into another argument by firing another warning shot. Jack jumps back into a straighter position, training kicking in, but Gabriel snaps his fingers and points at the cowboy, glaring and growling.

Gabriel threatens, “Keep doing that and I’ll kick your ass. You’re gonna scare Doñita.”

“Who the hell is Doñita?!” Jesse exclaims.

“Doña Gritos!” Gabriel replies, pointing up at the roof where said owl continues wildly flapping its wings. Jack steps away from his husband with an indignant sound. “My fucking owl!” Gabriel finishes.

Doña screeches again, and Jesse actually blinks. “That is definitely a fittin’ name.”

As they shout at each other, Hanzo grows tired of the distance and need to raise voices, takes a few steps forward, eyes on the owl. She keeps her bright yellow eyes on him, going quiet and still.

“She appears to be a Bubo Africanus,” Hanzo mumbles once he’s close enough to Gabriel, still watching her up above. She’s hooting low now. “Such a species tends to return to one spot sporadically to feed, and aggressively defends its hunting territories, although that is usually in pairs.” Hanzo spares a look for Jack. “It could explain her violent reaction towards the two of you.”

Gabriel looks down at Hanzo with the widest eyes he’s seen on the man since day one. He looks back up at Jesse once he sees the younger man approaching, gesturing at Hanzo with his open palms. “Dude,” Gabriel says, laughing. “I love your fucking boyfriend.”

Hanzo’s face heats up immediately.

“I want a divorce,” Jack snaps after a scoff.

And Gabriel rolls his eyes. “Ay, _güero—”_

“Don’t _güero_ me! I want a divorce!” Jack repeats. He turns around and runs back into the lodge, hand over his facial wound, shouting, “I’m downloading the papers right now!”

Gabriel bolts it behind him. “Jack, no!”

“Jack, yes!” comes Jack’s muffled voice from inside the house.

Hanzo and Jesse are left alone here, with Doña’s soft hooting and Jack’s discarded Pulse Rifle on the grass. Jesse runs up to Hanzo and grabs onto him from behind, lowering his body to hide behind the Japanese man as they both look up to Doña. His beard is tickling the exposed skin of Hanzo’s left shoulder, and he’s so much taller that Hanzo can feel his bent knees brushing against his prosthetics.

“Fuckin’ Bubo-whatever,” Jesse mumbles close to Hanzo’s ear. “She looks like the devil itself. And she tried to kill us.”

The archer rolls his eyes and reaches over to pat at Jesse’s hat, sighing. “Those were just her instincts.”

“Her instincts are to kill us?”

“Technically, yes.” Hanzo’s voice is decorated with the slightest hints of amusement, heightened when Jesse starts whining like a kicked puppy. He’s probably even pouting, Hanzo thinks. This man is absolutely ridiculous and yet so very endearing.

Hanzo remembers the earlier conversation before the world went to hell thanks to Doña. Overcome with a sudden urge, he turns his head towards his boyfriend, says, gently, “Jesse.”

The cowboy raises his head a little and meets his eyes. “Hm?”

Though kissing between the two of them is now a common thing, Hanzo knows that whenever he is the one to initiate the lip-to-lip contact, Jesse absolutely _melts._ And he does, right now; Hanzo sweetly presses his lips to Jesse’s and can’t help but smirk when the cowboy graces him with a small gasp and a jump, allowing himself a rare moment to take pride in catching him off-guard.  

Jesse’s surprise is soon turned into a goofy grin once Hanzo ends their kiss. He leaves his eyes closed for a moment longer, the cowboy, and Hanzo takes a moment to watch the way Jesse sighs and rests his cheek on his bare shoulder. Then the way he raises back to his full height, wrapping his arms around Hanzo’s waist to properly pull him closer, chest to chest, his index and thumb fingers grabbing for Hanzo’s chin to gently push it upwards.

“Aw, darlin’,” Jesse says, so full of affection that Hanzo has to avert his eyes. “Just what I needed after a near-death experience.”

Hanzo snorts, very aware of Jesse’s face slowly inching closer to his, and of the fact that they’re taking a romantic moment out here right after Jack Morrison just threatened Gabriel Reyes with a divorce. But he chooses to ignore that, focusing on Jesse instead, reaching up to set a hand on his bearded cheek.

He meets Jesse’s eyes again. “Do not make it into a tradition,” he grumbles back just before Jesse kisses him again, soft and gentle and loving, warm, also choosing to ignore the hooting owl watching them from the roof and the clucking chickens in the distance.

**Author's Note:**

> I have watched all of Mirada de Mujer on Youtube. It is the best novela to have graced this planet. Fight me about this


End file.
